I was in 12th grade AP Physics class, on the second floor of my hometown highschool. I think we had a substitute teacher that day, as we weren’t doing anything important. I had my Sony portable CD player (with ESS!!!), and a CD my friend Lawrence burned me inside it.
It Began in Afrika -ka -ka -ka -ka
It Began in Afrika -ka -ka -ka -ka
It Began in Afrika -ka -ka -ka -ka
I guess it would be more accurate to say it began in Physics Class -ass -ass -ass -ass. As funny as that is to say, the event was no laughing matter. I had my first taste of the Brothers, and my life was forever changed. That iconic disc, of course, was Come With Us. Since that time, we saw the release of Push the Button, and We are the Night. Both good discs, in their own right, but straying form the big beat sound The Chemical Brothers became famous for. This, in my mind, is where compilation albums can come into play. A single like “Saturate” from the We are the Night is a fantastic song, and can bring in new (younger) listeners who have never heard any of their work, and a compilation can let them explore some older work by the same artist.
In comes Brotherhood is the eigth compilation album, as listed by wikipedia, and includes many of their super smash hits. Also included is the new song “Keep my Composure” featuring Spank Rock, and the unreleased track “Midnight Madness”. The Limited second CD on the collector’s version contains the 10 previously unreleased “Electronic Battle Weapon” singles. Many of these evolved into singles which appear on other albums. The Chemical Brothers chose not to releases these songs, but instead play them live as a sort of testing ground for album content. The inclusion of these rare tracks is one of (if not the only) selling point of the album, since a true CB fan will already own most of disc 1.
Since almost all the content here isn’t new, I won’t rehash old singles. Instead, I will comment on the compilation as a whole. Track selection is decent, but the track order could be improved upon. While “Galvanize” is a great song, they already started off Push the Button with it. I think it would be more fun to start with “Hey Boy, Hey Girl”: a slow opening featuring the statement: ‘Hey Girl, Hey Boy. Superstar DJs, here we go!’ which flows into a HUGE, banging beat. Perfect lead-in.
Carry this flow (as CB did in the original track listing) with “Block Rockin Beats”. Using that same flow, in the number three slot: “Leave Home”. While carrying some big beat theme, the harder electronic sound of “Chemical Beats” would then lead right into the melodic “Star Guitar”. Now its time to merge the old and new, with a link of “It Began in Afrika”. Follow this up with some newer favorites: “The Boxer”, “Midnight Madness”, and “Saturate”. Last but not least, merge the old and new with “The Golden Path”, and “Out of Control”.
Appearing in my listing, but not the official Brotherhood list is “It Began in Afrika”. I don’t know how one could possibly put together a sort of Chemical Brothers ‘best of’ and NOT include Afrika. Although included in Battle Weapon 5, the single is a classic, and needs to be represented. I do enjoy seeing some of the newer standouts: “Galvanize”, “Do it Again”, “Saturate” and “Believe”, but three of them didn’t make my list. Don’t get me wrong. They are good songs, but not worthy of a compilation, “Saturate” excluded. I also chose to scratch out “Let Forever Be”, “Keep My Composure”, and “Setting Sun”. Instead I added: “The Boxer”, and the aforementioned “It Began in Afrika”.
Here is my modified tracklisting. The real listing will appear at the bottom of this review.
1. Hey Boy, Hey Girl
2. Block Rockin Beats
3. Leave Home
4. Chemical Beats
5. Star Guitar
6. It Began in Afrika
7. The Boxer
8. Midnight Madness
9. Saturate
10. The Golden Path
11. Out of Control
If you have never been introduced to The Chemical Brothers before, Brotherhood CD1 is a great introduction, and I highly recommend you go buy it NOW. But if you are an avid fan, and already own most of their previous work, the appeal of this album is definitely located in Disc 2. These previously unreleased “Electronic Battle Weapon” tracks are must haves. Its a lot a fun to listen to what Tom and Ed were thinking before the notes became smash singles.
Brotherhood track listing:
- “Galvanize” (featuring Q-Tip) (Radio Edit) (from Push the Button) – 4:29
- “Hey Boy Hey Girl” (from Surrender) – 4:49
- “Block Rockin’ Beats” (from Dig Your Own Hole) – 5:00
- “Do It Again” (Edit) (from We Are the Night) – 3:41
- “Believe” (Edit) (from Push the Button) – 6:07
- “Star Guitar” (from Come with Us) – 6:10
- “Let Forever Be” (featuring Noel Gallagher) (from Surrender) – 3:56
- “Leave Home” (from Exit Planet Dust) – 5:07
- “Keep My Composure” (featuring Spank Rock) – 5:43
- “Saturate” (from We Are the Night) – 4:49
- “Out Of Control” (Radio Edit) (from Surrender) – 3:58
- “Midnight Madness” - 3:35
- “The Golden Path” (featuring The Flaming Lips) (from Singles 93-03) – 4:47
- “Setting Sun” (featuring Noel Gallagher) (Radio Edit) (from Dig Your Own Hole) – 4:00
- “Chemical Beats” (from Exit Planet Dust) – 4:02
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